I woke in the night to the sound of rushing air and rattling windows. When I had gone to bed some hours earlier the night had been very still, as it has been for weeks now. We have had very mild temperatures for this late autumn and the only nocturnal sounds came from possums scampering across the roof or hissing at each other.

The act of waking to a change in things reminded me of the drought a decade ago. Months of dryness had accustomed us to a certain soundscape both in and outside the house. One night I awoke to an odd noise, one I had almost forgotten - water gently moving through gutters and drains. Recognition took a while, perhaps a minute or so.

I have become far more acutely aware of noise over the last couple of years. Recording programs for 2RPH from home has made me far more sensitive to the total sound environment about me, from screeching cockatoos, magpies strolling on the tin roof, trucks on the highway and diesel trains lumbering down the line. And of course, the many, many power tools!

from, Autumn Wind   John Clare

The Autumn wind on suthering wings
Plays round the oak-tree strong
And through the hawthorn hedges sings
The years departing song
There's every leaf upon the whirl
Ten thousand times an hour
The grassy meadows crisp and curl
With here and there a flower
There's nothing in the world I find
That pleases like the Autumn wind.